Teachers to GES: We Want Our New Salary Scales, Not Just Promotion Results
The Ghana Education Service (GES) is once again in the crosshairs of frustrated educators. While the service is quick to celebrate the release of promotion examination results, a growing mountain of evidence suggests these are nothing more than “paper promotions” that fail to translate into the actual rank and salary adjustments that hard-working teachers desperately need.
For months, thousands of successful candidates have been left in a state of professional limbo. They have passed the rigorous testing, earned their new titles, and waited patiently—only to find their monthly pay slips remain stubbornly frozen at their old, lower levels.
“It’s About Salary, Not Just Rank”
The sentiment among the teaching fraternity is shifting from professional patience to outright indignation. David Ayine, a staff member of the GES, captured the prevailing anger on the service’s official Facebook page: “Keep releasing results and not putting them on scale, Baba! 🙃”
His frustration was echoed by hundreds of others who are tired of the administrative bottlenecks that have become synonymous with the GES. Another veteran teacher put it bluntly: “It seems the release of results is better than putting people on the right scale. My brother, it’s about salary, not rank… This is NOT a military field.”
A Pattern of Administrative Negligence
This is not an isolated incident; it is a systemic failure. From newly recruited teachers facing long delays in payment to promoted staff left in the dark, the GES appears consistently unable to manage its own database in real-time. This recurring “administrative amnesia” leads to constant agitation, teacher dissatisfaction, and, ultimately, a decline in morale that impacts the entire education sector.
READ: GES Promotion Is Without Prosperity For The Ghanaian Teacher
For teachers like Ampaw Emmanuel, the time for polite requests has passed: “You released results for teaching staff promotion in April and they have not been put on scale. Don’t come and pay just 3 months’ arrears and issue your ‘notional date’ whatever. It is either you pay or we serve you a court letter.”
Why Teachers Are Breaking Their Silence
The voices of the staff are becoming louder and more desperate. Here is what they are saying:
On the psychological toll: “Communication is the lifeblood of any relationship… a simple feedback on when those who passed can be placed on their right rank will not hurt,” noted Barak Larry.
On the lack of transparency: “See what an old teacher told me: It seems the release of results is better than putting the people on the right scale,” added AlimeKa Daurghz-Falcon Gbedzo.
On the future of the profession: “Do you still want the youth of this country to be teachers? So sad,” remarked Barnabas Azagsiba.
The Verdict: Reactive, Not Proactive
The GES must move beyond being a reactive institution that only addresses teacher concerns when they boil over into protests or social media outcries. Teachers are not just numbers in a database; they are the backbone of the nation. Withholding earned salary increases while the cost of living rises is not just an administrative oversight—it is a failure of duty.
READ: GES Announces Teacher Recruitment Schedule for 2026
As one teacher put it: “Man is growing but the pocket is shrinking. We beg you, na ya br3.”
It is time for the GES to honor its obligations, put promoted teachers on the correct salary scales immediately, and settle all outstanding arrears. Teachers have done their part by passing the exams; it is time for the ministry to do its part.
